Lighter construction



Oct. 29, 1935. 5;- J, LAGERHOLM 2.019,432

LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1928 IHIIIIIU ATTORNEY Patented oa.29, 193s UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE LIGHTER CON STRUCTIQN to EvansMass.,

Application August 4,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to lighting devices, and more specificallytothose in which a wick is ignited by sparks from pyrophoric metal.

One of the objects thereof is to provide a practical device of the abovetype of simple and durable construction. Another object is to provide adevice of the above type in which the action is efficient anddependable. Another object is to` provide a device of the above typewhich shall be economical in the use of material and in which,nevertheless, the ignition is rendered certain in a manually convenientmanner. Another object is to provide a device of the above type whichshall be adapted to meet the most severe conditions of use withoutinjury or loss of eiiectiveness. Other objects will be in partobvious'or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the apparatus hereinafter described and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of various possibleembodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevational taken substantially along the line II of Fig. 4;

Fig.'2 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 4,it being understood that in Figs. l and 3 additional parts are shownwhich, for the sake of clearness, are omitted from Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. -6 is a detailed elevation shown in Fig. 3 and tion; and

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional elevation taken along the line 1 1 ofFig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar views throughout theseveral figures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there is shown a fuel tankcomprising the top wall I0, bottom wall I I, and side walls I2. Thistank is provided with the customary filling of absorbent material I3,and its bottom wall has threaded therein a removable plug I4 covering anopening through which liquid fuel may be poured in when the tank isinverted.

Within the tank is mounted an absorbent wick of certain parts appearingin a different posiassignor Attleboro,

1928, Serial N0. 297,388 (Cl. 677.1)

I5 of asbestos or the like which passes through a constricted passageformed by a tube IB'extending downwardly for a substantial distance intothe tank and upwardly through the upper Wall I0. A virtual continuationof the inner sur- 8 face of this tube is formed in a boss I'I which inturn is formed on the upper surface of the top wall I0 and provided witha stop shoulder I8 for a purpose hereinafter described. In this mannerthe wick, although adapted for excellent capillary l0 action to feeditsupper exposed end I9, is nevertheless constricted so as to tend toprevent the passage of liquid fuel therethrough when the tank isinverted and lled. Furthermore, when this filling action takes placewith the'tank inverted 13 and the plug I4 removed, there is often anexcess of liquid fuel accumulating adjacent the top wall I0 (then thebottom wall). This `liquid fuel, due to inevitable supersaturation ofthe mass I3, would tend to flow out through the wick and 20 cover theparts adjacent its upper end tending to reduce their eiiiciency inaction and possibly causing the device to catch re for a short timeuntil this coating of fuel is exhausted. With this arrangement, however,when the tank is inverted, 25 the tube I6 extends upwardly to such adistance that no ordinary accumulation of liquid fuel can overflow itstop edge and tend to pass downwardly toward the free end I9 of the wick.

Formed upon the upper surface of the top wall a0,

I0 are a pair of webs 20 and 2|. Journaled in these webs is a shaft 22having loose thereon a pinion 23 and having loosely mounted thereon acam wheel 24 fixed to an abrasive wheel 25, the latter beingintermediate the pinion and cam 5 wheel, as shown in Fig. 7 of thedrawing. Forced upwardly against the lower surface o1 the friction orabrasive wheel 25 is a short cylindrical piece of pyrophoric metal 26which is urged toward the wheel by a long spiral spring 21 restingwithin the tube 28, the lower end of which is closed by a removable plug29 threaded into the tube and passing through the bottom wall II'. Thus,upon the wheel being rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig.1, its teeth formed for abrasive action in operation throw a shower ofsparks upwardly toward the left, it being understoorl that the member 26is slightly displaced toward the left with respect to the axis of thewheel.

A snuier member 30 is provided with a pair of 50 i depending ears 3| and32 journaled upon the shaft 22, and the latter of which has fixedthereto the pinion 23 The cap 33 of the snuier fits tightly at its lowerend the shoulder I8 and thus seals in the exposed wick end I9,preventing evap- "LV: i apra-isa oration or waste of fuel therefrom. Themember 30, however, can swing upwardly to the position indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1 of` the l drawing upon rotation of the pinion 23.

5 The snuifer member 30 is provided with a cross-pin 34 having ilxedthereon a dog 35, and and a small spiral spring 33 about the pin 34tends to swing the dog downwardly and toward the right so as to hookinto engagement with the lo teeth of the cam wheel 24 as best shown inFig. 3 of the drawing. The action of these teeth and related parts willlater be described in detail.

A pivot pin 31 is mounted in the webs 20 and 2| spaced fromandsubstantially parallel to the l5 vpin-22. Upon this pivot pin is looselymounted an actuating device 38 provided with an extension 33 which restswithin a recess 40 formed in the top wall i 0 and terminates in a shortcurved rack 4l provided with internal gear teeth suitably 20 meshingwith the pinion 23. Normally, the actuating device 33 is urged upwardlyby a heavy spiral spring 42 coiled about the pin 31 and compressedbetween the top wall of the tank and the under surface of thechannel-shaped finger grip 25 43 formed at the end of the actuatingdevice. This spring tends to swing downwardly the rack 4I and likewisepress against itsseat the snuffer cap 33, a stop being expressly omittedso as to insure a tight iit of the snuer cap. If, however,

30l the finger portion 43 is pressed downwardly, the

upward movement of the rack 4I whirls the pinion 23 and swings upwardlythe snuer cap. In depressing the part 43 to cause this movement, anytendency of the thumb or nnger to slip off 35 the end of this part isprecluded by its upwardly curved upper surface. Furthermore, theupwardly curved lower surface, as indicated at 43,

permits an additional angie of movement of the actuating device beforeit is stopped by engage- 40 ment with the upper surface of the top wallI0.

Thus both of these curved surfaces perform an important benecialfunction.

As the snuffer cap is swung upwardly, as above described, the dog 35pullsupwardly upon the 45 teeth of the cam wheel 24 with which it isinterlocked, as shown in Fig. 3. This movement is retarded by aresilient member 45, here shown in the form of a fiat spring having aflat portion 46 secured to the top wall I and an extension 50 held inplace between the boss l1 and the adjacent portion of the web 20. Thisspring member is provided with a crimp or sharp bend 48 which pressesstrongly against the surface of the adjacent teeth of the cam wheel 24.This action 55 retards the rotation of the wheel, permitting theaccumulation of greater pressure upon the iinger piece 43 until thewheel reaches the position shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing. At suchinstant all opposition to the rotation of the wheel is re- -60 moved,and simultaneously therewith the portion 49 of the bend 48 exerts a. camaction on this tooth, kicking it forward in conjunction with the rotaryforce received from the rack 4i. By this action there is a short butextremely rapid move- 65 ment of the cam wheel 24 and of the spark wheel25 fixed thereto. There is thus the short but unusually intense showerof sparks against the exposed end I9 of the wick rendering its ignitioncertain. In this action the abrasion of the metal 70 member 26 isreduced to a minimum due to the short time of action thereon, but, onthe other hand, the heating eiect on the wick, although short in pointof time, is abnormally intense.

The termination of this action leaves the wheel 75 24 in a positionshown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

and as the neger piece u is released and pressed upwardly by the spring42 the snuii'er member is pressed home against the seat Il and the dog35 takes its grip upon the following teeth ofthe wheel 24, as shown inFig. 3. It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in whichthe various objects of this invention are achieved and that the same iswell adapted to meet the usual conditions of practical use.

As many possible embodiments may be made 10 of the above invention andas many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it isto be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a lighter, a casing, a wick extending therefrom, pyrophoricmaterial positioned adjacent said wick, a rotatably mounted frictionwheel, a spring forcing said material into engagement with said frictionwheel, a nger piece, means effecting rotation of said friction wheel onmovement of said finger piece, a spring yieldingly resisting movement ofsaid finger piece, and means independent of the friction wheel forinterpcsing an additional abruptly increasing and suddenly yieldingresistance to the movement of the iinger piece during the latter portionof its movement.

2. In a lighter, in combination, a. fuel receptacle having a. top wall,a. wick projecting above said top wall, an abrasive wheel mounted on ahorizontal axis above a portion of said top wail,

a pyrophoric member spring-pressed against said abrasive wheel, asnuii'er to cover said wick,

a member carrying said snuffer mounted on the same axis as said abrasivewheel, said snuffercarrying member having a vertical cross-sectionsubstantially like an inverted U and thereby hav- 40 ing a substantiallyhorizontal upper wall portion and substantially vertical side wallportions depending therefrom, said side wall portions extendingdownwardly on each side of said abrasive wheel and extending downwardlyabout said snuier, a separable finger piece mounted above said top walland on the other side of said wheel from said wick and adapted toactuate the member carrying the snuffer and the wheel, a gear mounted onthe same axis as the abrasive wheel, a connection between the gear andthe abrasive wheel whereby the abrasive wheel may be rotated by thegear, and a rack on that side of said gear nearest the wick to operatethe gear, said rack having a portion passing under the axis of the 5.5wheel and integral with the nger piece.

3. In a lighter, in combination, -a fuel receptacle having a top wall, awick projecting above said top wall and extending into said receptacle,an abrasive wheel mounted on a horizontal axis above a portion of saidtop wall, a pyrophoric member, means pressing said pyrophoric memberagainst said abrasive wheel, a snuier to cover the otherwise exposed endof said wick, a nger piece mounted on a horizontal axis above said top05 wall, said axis being on the other side of said wheel from said wickand connected to raise said snuffel' when the operating portion of saidfinger piece is depressed. a gear mounted on the same axis as theabrasive wheel, a connection between the gear and the abrasive wheelwhereby the abrasive wheel may be rotated by the gear,

a rack in engagement with said gear on that side of the latter nearestthe wick for operating the gear, said rack having a portion passingunder the axis of the wheel and integral with the linger piece theabrasive wheel being thereby operated to throw sparks upon the wick whenthe operating portion of the linger piece is manually depressed, saidlinger piece being substantially U- shaped in vertical cross-section toprovide a top wall portion and depending vertical side wall portions,and spring means urging the operating portion of the nger pieceupwardly, said spring means being accommodated substantially within andbeing substantially enclosed by said top wall portions and side wallportions of said linger piece, and the aforesaid connection during suchupward movement being inoperative to rotate the abrasive wheel.

4. In a lighter, in combination, a fuel receptacle having an elongatedtop wall, a wick at one end of said top wall, an abrasive wheel mountedon a horizontal axis over said top wall, a pyrophoric member engaging anunder portion of said wheel, means pressing said pyrophoric member intoengagement with said wheel, a snuier to cover said wick, aseparatelinger piece member mounted aboves id top wall and having itslinger-engaging portion\extending entirely to that side of said wheelopposite from the wick, means forming a well extending downwardly belowsaid top wall in a portion of the latter adjacent to and below saidwheel, a toothed member lixed coaxially to rotate with said wheel, atoothed member engaging with said rst-mentioned toothed member on thatside the of wheel axis toward said wick and having a range of movementsuch that it is accommodated in said Well during a portion of its pathof travel and adapted upon actuation to rotate said llrst-mentionedtoothed member and said wheel, and means whereby said second-mentionedtoothed member is moved in response to actuation of said linger piecemember and including a portion of the latter having a path of movementinto said well.

5. In a lighter, a fuel casing having a wick, an abradant wheelrotatably mounted adjacent said Wick and having pyrophoric materialrelated thereto, a snuler arm pivotally carried by said casing andhaving a snuier cap to cover said wick, a one-way driving connectionbetween said snuler arm and said wheel whereby the latter is rotatedonly when said snuler arm moves in a wick-uncovering direction, manuallymovable means having operative connection with said snuffer arm loractuating the latter in wick-uncovering direction, a member havingperipheral pro trusions thereon and connected to partake of rotationonly when said wheel rotates, and spring means positioned in the path ofmovement of the 'protrusions of said member for interposing a yieldingresistance to movement of said wheel.

6. In a lighter, a casing having a wick extending through a wallthereof, an abradant wheel mounted to rotate about an axis parallel tosaid snuler cap for covering over said wick, said snuf- 6 fer armcarrying pawl means for coacting with said ratchet wheel to rotate theabradant wheel when said snulfer member moves in wick-uncoveringposition, a linger piece vmovably mounted on said casing and havingoperative connections l0 i whereby, upon manual actuation of said lingerpiece, said snuiler arm is moved in wick-uncovering direction and saidpawl and ratchet means drive said abradant wheel, and spring meanscarried by said receptacle and projecting into the 15 path of movementof the cam portions of said cam wheel, thereby yieldingly to resistrotation of said abradant wheel.

7. In a lighter, in combination, a fuel receptacle having an elongatedtop wall, a wick extending 20 through said top wall at one end thereof,a downwardly depressible sheet metal linger piece over the other end ofsaid top wall and having a vertical cross-section substantially likethat of an inverted U and thereby having a horizontal top 25 portionsubstantially parallel to said top wall for engagement by a linger andhaving depending substantially vertical side wall portions, said lingerpiece falling within and overlying that end of the top Wall over whichit extends, an abrasive 30 wheel mounted on a horizontal axis over saidtop wall and intermediate of the wick and linger piece member, meansmounting said finger piece member for downward swinging movement, asnuler for said wick, means comprising a sheet 35 metal member having atop wall portion and depending vertical side wall portions and forming acomplement substantially to said linger piece member in that said lingerpiece overlies that portion of the one side of the wheel axis and saidsheet metal member overlies that portion of the top wall to the otherside of said wheel axis, the side Wall portions of said means beingpivoted on a horizontal axis over the casing top wall and with the 45top wall portion thereof extending over said wick and supporting saidsnuffer, said sheet metal member having its top wall portion extendingover said wheel and its side wall portions extending downwardly each toone side of said 50 wheel, a pyrophoric element projecting into contactwith said wheel, and means operatively connecting said linger piecemember and said sheet metal means and said abrasive wheel whereby, inresponse to swinging movement of said linger piece member by manualmovement of its top wall portion toward said top wall of saidreceptacle, said sheet metal means with the snuler is swung upwardlyabout the axis of said wheel and said wheel is rotated against saidpyrophoric 00 element.

CARL JULIUS LAGERHOLM.

topwall of the fuel receptacle to 40

